1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a film viewer and more particularly to a portable film viewer configured as a clipboard with an automatic control circuit which automatically turns the viewer on when a hard copy film is inserted and automatically turns the viewer off when the film is removed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Film viewers, such as x-ray viewers, are generally known in the art. Such x-ray viewers are known to be used in the medical industry by medical personnel to view x-ray films. Examples of such x-ray viewers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,118,654; 4,510,708; 4,908,876; 6,031,516; 6,088,941; 6,208,437; 6,462,868; and 6,548,823. X-ray viewers are also known for viewing digital x-rays. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,031,516 and 6,462,868 disclose dual-function x-ray viewers that are configured to view both hard copy x-ray films as well as digital x-rays.
In the medical industry, hard copy x-ray films are predominately used. Such x-ray film viewers are normally wall-mounted and include a lightbox. One known conventional viewer includes a light source or lamp, a reflector plate, and a diffuser plate. The lamp and the reflector plate are disposed adjacent a rear wall of the light box. The diffuser plate forms the front wall of the lightbox. The diffuser plate causes relatively uniform light to be distributed across its surface to allow relatively accurate reading of the x-ray film. An example of such an x-ray viewer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,118,654 and 4,510,708.
There are several problems with such known x-ray viewers. First, in many medical applications, such as doctors' offices, such x-ray viewers are required in each of the patient examination rooms—especially in patient examination rooms of orthopedic surgeons. By having an x-ray viewer in the patient examination rooms, the orthopedic surgeon is able to show patients the exact nature of their problem. However, such x-ray viewers are relatively expensive. Thus, separate x-ray viewers in each patient examination room can be costly for a doctor.
Another problem with known x-ray viewers is that the light or display must be controlled manually by the medical personnel, which is cumbersome. Additionally, medical personnel are known to leave the lamp or display on for extended periods of time. Accordingly, the lamps and displays are known to burn out prematurely, thus increasing the cost to the medical facility. Thus, there is a need to reduce the cost of such x-ray viewers.